Chapter 029

"Urk." The girl made a strangled sound and her face began to pale, all except for her cheeks, which reddened as she realized her mistake. "Uh... I'm really sorry about that..." The woman huffed, but didn't say anything further as she continued working on the robes.

"You really should learn to be more careful when you speak," Harry admonished lightly. "You never know when someone around you might be insulted by what you say. Also, you probably shouldn't judge a person based on what house they go into. Preconceptions about someone because of where they're sorted can lead to making assumptions made out of ignorance, which could lead to a confrontation if you're not careful and insult the wrong person."

"Yes mum," the girl said with a slight roll of her eyes.

"You may roll your eyes now," Harry spoke with a tone of warning, "but when you end up inadvertently insulting someone again and they take greater offense than this nice woman did, just remember that I told you so."

The girl sighed. "Yeah, I get it." She grimaced. "You're probably right anyways. Dad always said I should learn to think before I speak." Which was exactly what he said just a few moments ago, he noted with amusement.

"You're dad sounds like a smart man," Harry said, getting the girl to stick her tongue out at him. He chuckled a bit at the childish return. Lisa always did something similar whenever she lost in their arguments.

"That's you done, dear," Madam Malkin said, interrupting any further attempt at conversation. Harry nodded and hopped of the stool.

"Do you think I could also get several sets of dress robes?" asked Harry.

"Of course," Madam Malkin smiled at him. "Just tell me how many, what colors, and what you would like them made out of."

"I want three, two black and one dark green," Harry began. "And what options do I have for the materials?"

"We have several," Madam Malkin began to list off the materials she had on her fingers. "We have cotton, wool, though neither of those make for very good dress robes. Our other two materials are linen and silk. If you want my opinion, our silk is the best material to use for dress robes. We use Acromantula silk."

"And what is Acromantula silk?" asked Harry, now curious. He had never heard of an Acromantula before, though judging from the name he could take a guess as to what one was.

"Acromantula silk is the fiber spun by Acromantula spiders to make their web. Not only is it very beautiful when woven together for clothing, it's also comfortable, and heat and magic resistant as well."

"I imagine it's also pricey," Harry pointed out. Not that price mattered much to him. From what he had just been told, Acromantula silk was the best material to make robes out of. If it weren't for the fact that Harry didn't want to seem like some kind of rich snob, he would have probably even considered using Acromantula silk for all of his robes.

"Yes." Madam Malkin looked reluctant to admit that. "One robe made from Acromantula silk costs two-hundred galleons." At that, the girl Harry had been talking with—who had been listening in on the conversation with growing enthusiasm—began looking dejected. Harry almost snorted. It seemed that even in the wizarding world all girls were fashionistas.

"I would like all of my dress robes made in Acromantula silk," Harry told the woman, shocking both her and the girl that had been listening—eavesdropping—on the conversation.

"Very well." Madam Malkin quickly recovered her smile and pleasant demeanor. "The dress robes will take a while, but they should be done in a day or so if you would like to come back then. Or I can have them sent to you."

"I'll come back," Harry said after a moment. "I'm probably going to be here often enough, so I'll just check in to see if they are done two days from now."

"Of course. Have a pleasant day, dear."

"And you as well," Harry gave her a small bow of the head, then turned to look at the brunette who was only just now recovering from her shock of someone spending over 600 Galleons on dress robes. "I'm sure we'll see each other at Hogwarts."

"Right. I'll see you around then." The girl waved at him as Harry walked out of the store.

XoX

The next two hours were spent with Harry visiting various shops to get the rest of the school supplies he would need. He ended up buying a pewter cauldron—he had thought about getting the golden one but that seemed really wasteful—as well as a set of scales for weighing potions ingredients. One of the things he had decided not to get was a telescope, which from what he had seen was a really old-fashioned model that would not look out of place in the fifteenth century. Harry had decided to instead buy a muggle telescope, as even the ones that did not require batteries to power them were far better then what he saw there. Other items Harry did not get were quills and ink bottles, having decided to also buy a set of calligraphy pens in muggle London that would give the same effect as an old fashion quill, only without the mess.

He did end up buying quite a few potions ingredients, nearly four times the amount of ingredients required by Hogwarts, at the apothecary, a fascinating place with a most horrible stench. The place had smelled like a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. It was, quite possibly, one of the most putrid scents Harry had ever picked up, and that was saying something coming from him.

The last place Harry visited was the one place he had been looking forward to the most—other then Flourish and Blotts—the place where he would get his wand. Ollivanders.

The wand store was pretty run down, from what he could see. It was a narrow and shabby looking building, with peeling gold letters above the door that read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.. Below that was a dusty window in which a single wand lay on a faded purple cushion.

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